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Farhana Mehnas

Senior Engineer Module Engineering

Farhana graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) at National University of Singapore (NUS).

My company and my job

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a leading wafer foundry manufacturer. We make integrated circuits on silicon wafers for our customers that eventually go chips in mobile phones, computers, cars and even cash cards that we use every day. My role as a process engineer with the implant department requires me to optimize processes to meet the production needs.

How I got my job

After I applied for a position in GLOBALFOUNDRIES, I had to go through a two phase selection process. Firstly, I was called for a mass interview which itself had two stages of preliminary interview for shortlisting. After a week, I was called for an second round of interview for a process engineer job in implant department which assessed me more on my leadership and technical skills. The willingness to take up the challenging role despite being a new graduate, I felt, gave me an edge over the others.

The highs and lows

The nature of my job is such that, almost on a daily basis, I encounter different spectrum of problems to be settled. This makes my work interesting and keeps my mind active. The most challenging aspect of this job is to troubleshoot electrical test (ETEST) issues or customer feedback which requires solving the problem within a short timeframe. However, the contentment achieved when a case is successfully solved is the major source of motivation which keeps me going on this job.

My happiest moment at work

My happiest moment at work was solving a mysterious yield problem based on the feedback from a customer. It resulted from a minor drift in the performance of a tool which affected numerous production lots. The problem solving took about two weeks as the source of the problem was undetectable and it took a breakthrough finding to crack the case. I received commendations from the customer regarding the finding and the detailed illustration was exceptional despite this originating from a problem!

Training and support

In GLOBALFOUNDRIES, we have an entire department dedicated to training. There is a schedule sent out in email on a monthly basis for employees to choose the training they would like to attend. The courses range from technical skills to personal development or even online e-learning. All the bosses encourage their employees to attend any of the training courses that they have chosen. When I first joined GLOBALFOUNDRIES, I was sent for basic semiconductor e-learning and training on the software that process engineers are required to use in our work.

Work-life balance

During lunch hours, numerous beneficial lunch talks are organized to keep our minds fresh. In addition, there are also lunch hour yoga classes and zumba classes to keep us fit. There are also regular jogging sessions after work organized so that we can build a close bond with our colleagues outside of work. Various weekend outings are organized on a company level in which we can bring our family members along and enjoy the day.

Apart from these activities, colleagues also showed a personal touch and rendered all their support when I was a “newbie” which made me feel comfortable settling into my new job and encouraged me to persevere until I fully mastered my job.

Some advice

Knowledge from textbooks only provide you with fundamental understandings. Only on the job training can fully prepare you for what’s in store for you at your new job. So join an organization with a positive mindset to learn and do not be intimidated by initial hurdles!

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